VINdependent News & Updates

VINdependents who have not yet fulfilled their six-bottle annual commitment are invited to choose between three pre-configured shipments by December 18th: one mixed (the default), one red wine, and one white wine. Members are also of course welcome to choose their own six wines using our online order form. If no selection is made classic shipment will be shipped the week of 1/6/25. The preconfigured options are:

Classic (Default)

• 1 bottle of 2022 Esprit de Tablas (Our newly-released flagship red blend, based on Mourvedre, from the best lots of the vibrant 2022 vintage; 96 James Suckling, 95 Wine Advocate, 93-95 Vinous)
• 1 bottle of 2022 En Gobelet (Our blend sourced exclusively from dry-farmed, head-trained vineyard blocks; 94+ Wine Advocate, 94 Vinous, 94 James Suckling)
• 1 bottle of 2022 Lignée de Tablas Hook Vineyard Grenache (Our first-ever red wine release in the Lignée de Tablas tier, single-vineyard wines from Tablas Creek clones. This powerful rendition of Grenache comes from the coastal Santa Lucia Highlands; 93 Vinous, 93 James Suckling, 92 Wine Advocate)
• 1 bottle of 2022 Cotes de Tablas (Our estate blend based on Grenache; 93 Wine Spectator, 93 Decanter, 94 James Suckling)
• 1 bottle of 2023 Cotes de Tablas Blanc (Our showcase for Viognier's lushness, brightened by Marsanne & Grenache Blanc; 95 BevX, 92-94 Wine Advocate, 93 James Suckling)
• 1 bottle of 2023 Dianthus (The newest vintage of our Mourvedre-based dry rosé, rich yet vibrant; 95 BevX, 93 Decanter, 93 James Suckling)
• VINdependent Cost: $265.50

Red Wine Selection

White (and Rose) Wine Selection

• 1 bottle of 2022 Esprit de Tablas Blanc (Our newly-released flagship white blend, based on Roussanne, from the best lots of 2022; 95 James Suckling, 94 Wine Advocate, 94 Vinous, 94 Decanter)
• 1 bottle of 2023 Cotes de Tablas Blanc (Our showcase for Viognier's lushness, brightened by Marsanne & Grenache Blanc; 95 BevX, 92-94 Wine Advocate, 93 James Suckling)
• 1 bottle of 2023 Lignée de Tablas Zaca Mesa Grenache Blanc (Our Lignée de Tablas tier, single-vineyard wines from Tablas Creek clones. This lovely rendition of Grenache Blanc comes from the Santa Ynez Valley AVA in Santa Barbara County; 92 Vinous, 92 James Suckling)
• 1 bottle of 2023 Patelin de Tablas Blanc (The newest vintage of our Grenache Blanc-based white Rhone blend; 94 BevX, 93 James Suckling, 91 Decanter)
• 1 bottle of 2023 Dianthus (Our Tavel-inspired Mourvedre-based dry rosé, rich yet vibrant; 95 BevX, 93 Decanter, 93 James Suckling)
• 1 bottle of 2023 Patelin de Tablas Rose (Our "neighborhood" Provence-style dry rosé, based on Grenache; 93 Wine Enthusiast, 92 Decanter, 92 James Suckling)
• VINdependent Cost: $207.90

To receive the default mixed shipment, members need do nothing, though if you'd like it sooner than the week of January 6th please let us know. Those who prefer a different pre-configured shipment or a different ship date, or who have questions about shipments or membership, should contact the wine club team at 805.237.1231 x236 or wineclub@tablascreek.com.

We are pleased to invite you to participate in our twenty-first annual barrel tasting and sale en primeur of Tablas Creek Vineyard's remarkable wines from the outstanding 2023 vintage: Esprit de Tablas and Panoplie. Offering wine en primeur is a time-honored French tradition most often associated with first-growth Bordeaux estates. In outstanding vintages, valued customers are offered the opportunity to secure a limited quantity of sought-after wines at a special price in advance of bottling and subsequent general release. The wines will be available for delivery or pickup in fall 2025.

To RSVP to the En Primeur Tasting on December 7th: Proprietor Jason Haas and Executive Winemaker Neil Collins will host a live En Primeur tasting on December 7th. Join us for a discussion of the 2023 vintage and wines. RSVP by mail, phone, or online using this link.

To Order: Visit our Futures order page here.

To Taste: You may taste the wine on your own schedule by visiting our tasting room between November 25th and December 16th, and we will pour you the new Esprit and Panoplie. Book your tasting.

The 2023 Vintage:

The 2023 vintage began with our wettest-ever winter, replenishing groundwater and delaying budbreak. It continued with our coolest growing season in more than a decade, which combined with the late start to produce a harvest roughly a month later than most recent years, beginning in mid-September and not concluding until mid-November. Warm, sunny weather starting in October allowed the later-ripening varieties to reach full maturity. The exceptionally long hangtime and gradual ripening combined to produce fruit with deep colors, remarkable intensity, and noteworthy vibrancy. We believe 2023 has all the hallmarks of a blockbuster year.

The Wines:

• 2023 Esprit de Tablas: Esprit de Tablas is Tablas Creek's signature red blend, always led by the dark red fruit, earth, spice and mid-palate richness of Mourvèdre (33%), along with additions of Syrah (31%), Grenache (26%), Cinsaut (6%), Vaccarèse (2%), and Counoise (2%). In this cool vintage, Syrah was particularly outstanding, and we ended our blending trials using our highest percentage ever in Esprit. This gives the wine a luscious darkness and noteworthy minerality, in roughly equal balance with the redder fruit and spicy brightness from the other grapes. It is deep and full-bodied, with ample fine-grained tannins and a
  finish of sweet spice and dark red fruit. It should drink well for two decades or more
• 2023 Panoplie: Panoplie is our elite Mourvèdre-based cuvée, made in the model of Château de Beaucastel's Hommage à Jacques Perrin and selected from the top 5% of lots that come into the cellar each vintage. In 2023, we chose two exceptional lots of Mourvèdre to represent 61% of the wine. We then added one
  powerful lot of Syrah (23%) and two lots of Grenache (16%). The resulting Panoplie allows the purity of the Mourvèdre fruit to shine with currant, black plum, sweet earth and Mourvèdre's characteristic chewy tannins. It should be great to lay down, though it's so tasty that it may be hard to keep away from it in its youth. Drink over the next 25-30 years.